Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Computer Basics -- Chapter 1: It's a Digital World -- PCs: Discovering the Personal Computing Connection -- The Business End: Multi-User Computer Systems -- Computer Software -- BIOS -- Operating system -- Utilities -- Applications -- It's All Connected -- Discovering What's Out There -- Shopping -- Fun and games -- Communicating online -- Social networking -- Information, please -- Education -- Chapter 2: Buying and Setting Up a Computer -- Understanding Computer Hardware -- Understanding the CPU -- Understanding memory -- Understanding hard drives -- Understanding input devices -- Understanding display screens -- Understanding optical drives -- Understanding Internet connectivity options -- Understanding Software -- Choosing a Computer -- Computer sizes -- Operating system -- What do you get for your money? -- Setting Up a Computer -- Unpack the computer -- Connect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse -- Set up the device -- Using Input Devices -- Using a pointing device -- Work with a touchscreen -- Understanding the keyboard layout -- Using keyboard shortcuts -- Starting Up and Shutting Down -- Signing in -- Understanding user accounts -- Shutting down -- Chapter 3: Understanding Operating Systems -- What Is an Operating System? -- Types of Operating Systems -- Operating Systems for Desktop and Notebook PCs -- Mac OS X -- Microsoft Windows -- Linux -- Operating Systems for Netbooks -- Operating Systems for Tablets and Smart Phones -- Learning How Operating Systems Talk to Hardware -- Chapter 4: Windows 8.1 Basics -- Getting Around in Windows 8.1 -- Understanding the Start screen -- Understanding the desktop -- Using the Charms bar -- Running Applications.

Starting an application -- Switching among applications -- Closing an application -- Working in a desktop application -- Working in a Windows 8 application -- Controlling Application Windows -- Managing desktop windows -- Arranging Windows 8 apps -- Managing Files with File Explorer -- Understanding file storage -- Browsing drives and folders -- Creating a new folder -- Selecting files and folders -- Changing the file listing view -- Searching for files -- Copying or moving a file or folder -- Deleting and recovering files -- Using a Home Network -- Assessing your current network -- Setting up network hardware -- Connecting a computer to a wireless network -- Getting better wireless signal strength -- Sharing files and folders on a network -- Browsing other people's shared resources -- Using a shared printer -- Sharing your printer with others -- Part II: The Online Experience -- Chapter 5: Understanding Internet Basics -- What Is the Internet? -- Exploring Different Types of Internet Connections -- Setting Up an Internet Connection -- Troubleshooting an Internet Connection -- Chapter 6: Working with the Web -- Discovering How the Web Works -- Understanding Web Addresses -- Checking out Internet Explorer's Interface -- Performing Web Searches -- Using a Secure Site -- Viewing Your History -- Saving and Organizing Favorites -- Creating Your Own Web Content -- Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Email -- Understanding Email -- Email addresses and mail servers -- Types of email accounts -- Signing Up for an Email Account -- Setting Up an Account in Your Email Client -- Setting Up an Account in Mail in Windows 8.1 -- Setting up an account at Outlook.com -- Setting Up an Account in Microsoft Outlook 2013 -- Composing and Sending Email -- Understanding the Inbox Interface -- Replying and Forwarding -- Managing Email Messages -- Deleting messages.

Browsing folders -- Creating folders -- Moving messages into folders -- Understanding Email Etiquette -- Chapter 8: Clouds and Online Communication -- Using Cloud-Based Applications -- Working with Microsoft OneDrive -- Signing into the OneDrive web interface -- Installing and using OneDrive for Windows Desktop -- Using the Windows 8 OneDrive app -- Participating in Social Networking -- Facebook and other social network sites -- Discussion boards -- Blogging -- Twitter -- Using Instant Messaging -- Using a Webcam -- Part III: Productivity Programs -- Chapter 9: Understanding Applications -- Types of Applications -- Installing and Removing Applications -- What Is Microsoft Office? -- Navigating an Office Application's Interface -- The Start screen -- Ribbon and tabs -- The File menu -- Moving around in an application -- Changing the zoom and the view -- Creating a Document -- Typing text -- Inserting a picture -- Opening and Saving Files -- Saving your work for the first time -- Navigating in the Save As dialog box -- Opening a document -- Printing Files -- Chapter 10: Creating Personal Documents with Microsoft Word -- Creating a New Document Using a Template -- Adjusting Page Settings -- Setting page margins -- Setting paper size and orientation -- Editing and Selecting Text -- Filling text placeholders -- Typing and editing text -- Selecting text -- Formatting Text -- Choosing text font, size, and color -- Applying text attributes and effects -- Working with themes -- Applying style sets -- Formatting Paragraphs -- Applying horizontal alignment -- Indenting a paragraph -- Changing vertical spacing -- Creating bulleted and numbered lists -- Working with Styles -- Applying a style -- Modifying a style -- Creating a new style -- Copying formatting with Format Painter -- Checking Spelling and Grammar -- Creating a Table -- Selecting rows and columns.

Resizing rows and columns -- Formatting table borders -- Working with Pictures -- Inserting pictures from the web -- Understanding vector and raster graphics -- Inserting photos from files -- Changing the text wrap setting for a picture -- Moving a picture -- Resizing a picture -- Understanding Desktop Publishing -- Chapter 11: Managing and Calculating Data with Microsoft Excel -- Understanding the Excel Interface -- Moving the cell cursor -- Selecting ranges -- Typing and Editing Cell Content -- Editing data in cells -- Copying and moving data between cells -- Using AutoFill to fill cell content -- Changing the Worksheet Structure -- Inserting and deleting rows and columns -- Inserting and deleting cells and ranges -- Calculating with Formulas -- Moving and copying formulas -- Introducing functions -- Using the SUM function -- Inserting a function -- Touring some basic functions -- Formatting a Worksheet -- Adjusting rows and columns -- Applying a workbook theme -- Printing Worksheets -- Creating Charts -- Creating a pie chart -- Creating a column or bar chart -- Switching rows and columns -- Understanding the elements of a chart -- Editing the chart data range -- Changing the chart type -- Resizing a chart -- Moving a chart to its own worksheet -- Adding and positioning chart elements -- Formatting a chart -- Chapter 12: Creating Presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint -- Exploring the PowerPoint Interface -- Moving around in a presentation -- Understanding PowerPoint views -- Creating a New Presentation -- Creating new slides -- Duplicating a slide -- Deleting a slide -- Adding text to a slide -- Manipulating slide content -- Formatting a Presentation -- Applying themes -- Applying shape styles -- Applying a background fill -- Applying and removing borders -- Applying shape effects -- Turning text Autofit on or off -- Inserting Graphics.

Inserting an online image from Office.com -- Inserting your own pictures -- Adding Slide Transition Effects -- Setting Slides to Advance Manually or Automatically -- Inserting Sounds and Videos -- Inserting a sound clip on a slide -- Inserting a video clip on a slide -- Presenting a Slide Show -- Moving between slides -- Ending the slide show -- Printing Handouts and Notes -- Chapter 13: Storing and Retrieving Data with Microsoft Access -- Understanding Database and Access Basics -- Creating a New Database -- Creating a Table -- Creating Relationships Between Tables -- Entering and Editing Records -- Creating Queries -- Creating a query with the Simple Query Wizard -- Creating a query in Query Design View -- Creating Reports -- Part IV: Digital Security and Privacy -- Chapter 14: Protecting Your Computer and Data from Harm -- Understanding the Risks -- Risks -- Threats -- Protecting Against Natural Risks -- Creating a computer-friendly workspace -- Making data backups -- Protecting Against Human-Created Threats -- Strong passwords -- Operating system updates -- Virus and malware protection -- Firewalls -- Adjusting Settings to Increase Security -- Web browser security settings -- Email security settings -- Following Best Practices for Safer Web Use -- Watch out for phishing -- Enter financial information only on secure sites -- Pay attention to security certificates -- Shop at stores you know -- Be careful with online payments -- Be stingy with the information you provide -- Stay away from "vice sites" -- Chapter 15: Safeguarding Your Privacy -- Understanding Why Personal Information Is Big Business -- Targeted Advertising -- How advertisers target consumers -- Minimizing the information advertisers gather -- Tracking protection -- Limiting third-party cookies -- Identity Theft -- Social engineering -- Oversharing on social media.

Increasing Your Privacy on the Web.